Chapter 50 Business
"So do you want me to win or lose?" Lu Chaofeng spoke slowly, spitting out each word.
Su Chengnan chuckled, picked up the teacup and took a sip leisurely, "Your Highness is my partner, it's nice to be under a big tree, so I naturally hope you win."
A smile appeared in Lu Chaofeng's eyes. He drank the water in the teacup silently, then clapped his hands and called the servants.
Twelve plates of dim sum were served in succession, all of which were Jixiangfang’s signature dishes.
Su Linhua frowned and looked at Su Chengnan, but she smiled and picked up a piece and put it in her mouth. Hmm...it still looks good but doesn't taste good.
"Try it, ladies, and see how it tastes."
"generally."
The two of them pretended to taste a small half piece and then refused to eat any more. Seeing this, Lu Chaofeng made a judgment in his mind.
"It seems that the craftsmanship of the Su family is much better than that of other places. This snack needs to be ordered in advance. One piece is equivalent to the expenses of an ordinary family for half a month. However, the two ladies only gave a very ordinary evaluation. It really surprised me."
Su Chengnan knew that Lu Chaofeng was a man with high standards. He was not being sarcastic, but was actually eyeing the plate of steamed cake that had been sent to him earlier.
She curled her lips and rolled her eyes, "Sir, what do you think of this Jixiangfang compared to the snacks we just sent?"
Lu Chaofeng brought the half-eaten cake to the center of the table, pinched off a small piece, held it in front of his eyes, and asked, "If Miss Su made it herself, it must be absolutely good."
"You are right."
"oh?"
Su Chengnan and Lu Chaofeng looked at each other, and both were waiting for the other to speak first, but unfortunately, both of them were little foxes who could hold their temper.
Finally, Su Linhua said weakly: "This thing is just average. If the ingredients were richer, I could make it ten times more delicious."
Her words broke the pause, and Lu Chaofeng called the housekeeper in, "Second Miss, if you need anything else, you can tell me. As long as it is available in the other courtyard, you can take it at will."
"Milk, sugar, butter, raisins, red dates, red beans, walnuts, and some glutinous rice."
Lu Chaofeng looked at the housekeeper, "Do you have them all?"
The housekeeper was puzzled, "Excuse me, young lady, what is this butter?"
Su Linhua takes food very seriously! Just when she was about to explain in detail what butter was, Su Chengnan, who was sitting next to her, stepped on her instep. She endured the pain and came to her senses, "It's just yellow cooking oil. It's okay if you don't have it."
"Yes, yes, they are all in the kitchen of the villa."
She wanted to show off her skills, but was afraid that Su Chengnan would not agree, so she had to lower her head and did not respond, sitting alone pretending to be mute.
Lu Chaofeng looked over and said, "Second Miss seems to be very familiar with these things. Could it be that you made the snacks? Would you be willing to show off your skills here?"
Su Chengnan felt that he was pretending to be ignorant, but she was thinking about blackmailing Lu Chaofeng for money, so she pretended to be angry and said, "The prince's house has no shortage of cooks, why do you have to ask my sister to do it herself? What do you mean by this?"
Lu Chaofeng raised his eyebrows and smiled softly, "Miss Su, you really have good eyesight."
Su Chengnan just looked at him with a faint smile on his face.
Lu Chaofeng poured himself a cup of tea and said, "Okay, I'll get straight to the point."
"Can you sell me this craft of the Second Miss?"
"Does the prince want to buy it out?"
"Make an offer."
Su Linhua's eyes moved back and forth between the two of them. Buying out is a good idea! This method is not expensive and she has a lot of it.
"Not for sale." Su Chengnan shook his head.
"Five thousand taels."
“Not for sale.”
"Eight thousand taels."
"Even if you offer 10,000 taels, we won't sell this craft."
Lu Chaofeng's smile disappeared completely. "What do you mean, Miss? Did you forget about the partnership?"
Su Chengnan picked up the teapot on the low table in front of her and slowly poured water into her teacup. The sound of water gurgling and the faint aroma of Longjing tea wafted out. She smiled sweetly and said, "My Lord, we have already said that this is a cooperative relationship. How can we charge for this craft? Why don't we start a small business together?"
The surprise in Lu Chaofeng's eyes flashed, and he laughed, "Miss, why don't you tell me how to run this small business?"
Su Chengnan reached out and picked up a piece of Jixiangfang pastry. "This pastry is quite delicately made, and the taste is acceptable. But maybe it's because I'm not very knowledgeable, so I spent nearly one or two taels of silver to buy such a small piece. I really don't think it's necessary."
"So... people who buy it are either looking for face or buying it as a gift. With such an expensive price, it is still so popular. I guess the boss behind it must be a person of high status."
"My Lord, am I right?"
Lu Chaofeng Point
He nodded, "Yes, the emperor's uncle is behind Jixiangfang, and this is the Xiao family's property."
Su Chengnan's eyelids twitched. She knew it must be a big shot, but she didn't expect it to be a member of the powerful Xiao family. No wonder business is so good. Now the emperor has not yet taken power, the empress dowager is in charge of government, the king's uncle has absolute power in the court, and any old minister who expresses objection will be punished.
Who wouldn't want to curry favor with the officials and local gentry below? As long as you get in touch with the Xiao family, your rise to prominence is just around the corner. Haha, I’m afraid the Xiao family has many more industries like Jixiangfang! After all, no matter how expensive it is, there will always be people who will rush to recharge and spend in an effort to gain a wave of favorability.
"If this business is to be done, it can be big or small, depending on how much money the prince wants to make."
"Would anyone complain about having too much money?" What Lu Chaofeng lacks now is money, and of course, he lacks food even more!
Su Chengnan smiled knowingly. It was good that he was short of money. He was just afraid that this prince would give up making money and would rather whitewash the situation with the Queen Mother and her party.
"The Su family is willing to offer a plan to help the Ningyuan Palace make a fortune."
"Oh? Miss Su is so sure?"
"Are you sure? Please try my sister's cooking first. If you think the Su family's card is useful, how about we continue the discussion?"
"What do you want?"
"What do you think Chengnan wants?"
Lu Chaofeng took a sip of tea and raised his hand to make a gesture of invitation, "Then I'll trouble you, Second Miss. Please tell the housekeeper what ingredients and manpower you need. You're welcome."
Su Linhua had been sitting for so long, and it was finally her turn to move around. She stood up eagerly, "Okay, where is the kitchen? Take me there!"
"Please come this way." The butler led the way.
"But I have to tell you in advance, your people can only wait outside the door. You can only come in when I ask you to help. You are absolutely not allowed to peek! This is my unique skill."
Lu Chaofeng blinked and said, "Of course, Second Miss, don't worry."
The butler bowed and said, "We will definitely not steal your skills."
"Well, that's good!"
After she left, Lu Chaofeng stood up, walked to Su Chengnan and said, "I'm afraid there's something else behind the Queen Mother's search for Sun Liangyuan..."
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